Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Source

This quote always reminds me of the Langston Hughes poem "Mother to Son"


Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

So whether you can only see the first step or if you've already made it to the top of the staircase, but have had some problems along the way, keep the faith and keep going.

Thoughts on holidays

I am someone who loves holidays!  I love the traditions and the decorations and the celebrations as much as, if not more, than the next person.  But sometimes that love backfires on me.  

Let me explain.  Holidays are times when you are expected to have fabulous plans that live up to the expectations that surround whatever that holiday is.  For New Year's Eve you're supposed to have fabulous plans that will help you celebrate all that this year has been and ring in the new year.  For St. Patrick's Day you're supposed to have fabulous plans to go drinking with all of your friends for no reason other than the fact that it's St. Patrick's Day.  For the 4th of July, you're supposed to have fabulous plans to cookout with your family and friends and watch fireworks to celebrate our country and the sacrifices that people have made for it.  

So what happens when you don't have fabulous plans for whatever holiday it is?  You feel as thought you've failed at that holiday.  You've somehow managed not to fully embrace whatever the holiday is because you haven't drank champagne or green beer or watched a parade or whatever it is you were expected to do.  And that's crazy.  Because your holiday celebration is still a celebration no matter what it involves.  So this year, I'm giving myself permission to celebrate the holidays the way I feel like celebrating them.  And if that ends up not living up to expectations and being a quiet holiday at home, I'm going to be happy with that because I'm still celebrating the things that are important to me and that's what the holidays are all about.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Well not quite yet, but it's getting closer.  And because of that, I've been thinking about the anticipation of Christmas.  I think it's important to remember that Thanksgiving is an important holiday that should not be overlooked in anticipation of Christmas.

We actually had a rule in our family growing up that we weren't allowed to play Christmas music before Thanksgiving because we would play it all year long.  (My dad's the one that made the rule.  He likes Christmas as much as the rest of us, but apparently only after Thanksgiving.)  I do break the rule sometimes, but usually only by a week or so.

Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas.  It's my favorite holiday and my favorite time of year.  (And not just because I get a break from school!)  The past few years I've been making more of an effort to establish traditions to go with Thanksgiving as well as Christmas, because that's one of my favorite things about the holidays.  So this year for Thanksgiving we will be:

Image from here.

• Participating in the Drumstick Dash, which we've done two other times.  It's a 5K that takes place in Broad Ripple and supports Wheeler Mission.
• Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
• Eating turkey, stuffing, and all of the other fabulous foods you only get on Thanksgiving.  Unless you're my sister and I who insist on trying to have a turkey and stuffing for every possible holiday...